West Virginia University Institute of Technology honored the Class of 2013 during the 114th Commencement on the Montgomery campus on Saturday, May 11, 2013. The ceremony recognized 171 graduates.

WVU Tech CEO Carolyn Long congratulated the graduates during the ceremony. “You have been asked to study hard, think creatively and push your intellectual boundaries. We are here to today to celebrate that your dream of a college education has come true. Congratulations!”

West Virginia Secretary of Transportation and WVU Tech alumnus Paul Mattox, Jr., provided the Commencement Address. A 1982 civil engineering graduate, Mattox now manages the Division of Highways, with an annual budget of $1.1 billion, as well as the seven other agencies under the Department of Transportation.

The University’s Academic Awards Committee presented the Leadership Citations, which were established by former Tech president and professor emeritus Dr. Leonard C. Nelson in 1978. The awards are given to one student from each College who has demonstrated academic excellence and extensive campus and community involvement. This year’s recipients were Casey Orndorff from the Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering and Sciences and Monika Becker from the College of Business, Humanities and Social Sciences. Senior John Dunn was also honored during the ceremony as the NASPE Major of the Year by the WVU College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences.

Mattox offered final advice to the graduates, saying, “Be confident in the knowledge that the education you’ve received at this great institution has given you all the tools you need to be successful. All you have to do now is apply them.”